About this project

£7,615

169

UPDATE: We've reached our initial target! Thank you!!

To celebrate, we've released more of the sold out rewards, including the TWENTY-SOMETHING GAME and the LIMITED EDITION STILLS.Get them while you still can!

Every extra penny will go towards improving the series. £20 gets us a better prop; £50 rents us a lens for a night shoot; £100 pays for an extra location... and even £1 pays for a roll of tape for when things fall apart.

Bonuses

We've released some bonus mini-targets for the last few hours:

Target #1: £7,500 ----> COMPLETE!!We make the entire series.

Target #2: £7,550 ----> COMPLETE!!We release more of all the sold out rewards.

Nathan Barley meets Girls*. Spaced meets Coupling. Arrested Development meets The Office. All crammed into less time than it takes to squeeze a teabag.

MISSING SOMETHING is a cross-platform web sitcom: a spotlight into a world of pretentious media agencies, self-absorbed artists, oversexed-flatmates and very petty crooks. This crazy world is called “London”.

The series is a good old-fashioned British sitcom - interwoven plots, larger-than-life characters, and a solid story that we all grudgingly relate to.

But there's one major difference. Each episode packs all this into just three minutes…

The story centres on a twenty-something Londoner coming to terms with a quarter-life crisis, and discovering she's as bonkers as everyone else.

A while ago my brother and I were approached with an idea for a three-minute-sitcom about a new pandemic: the quarter-life crisis.

We were pretty convinced was a good idea.

So, we developed the script of the first episode, and with a tiny team and no money, we made a pilot in just 11 hours. We liked it.

Now we're 100% convinced it's a good idea.

We’ve now got twelve excellent scripts, a full creative team chomping at the bit*, and the perfect cast. Everything is in place... except for one thing.

That's where you come in. We’re gonna fund it the way it's going to be distributed... in tiny fragments all over the internet.

*Not literally.

"The thirties are the new twenties… so, um, who the heck are we?"

MISSING SOMETHING puts you inside the head* of Rachel - a twenty-something-ish recent-ish graduate, interning to avoid choosing a career.

A self-aware bundle of neuroses and fumbled decisions, the only people more loony than her are everyone else she ever meets ever. A self-aggrandising boss, two self-absorbed flatmates, a self-obsessed ex-boyfriend - and that’s not to mention the masked vigilantess at war with the blisteringly inept criminal underworld on their doorstep. Everything’s connected, if only she could just stop thinking about it long enough to figure out how...

Each episode is an individual story, forming part of a spiralling plot towards a riotous season finale (and beyond). A moment of surreal insanity in one episode becomes key as the stories unravel.

And there’s a bit with a dog.

*Not literally.

To make this happen, we need to find around £7,500.

"£7,500 is very low for a webseries", I hear you cry, "especially for one as complex as this".

Well, yes, but also... no.

Sure, it's barely £600 per episode. But we're able to do it so cheaply because we own a lot of equipment, and we've got a great team of professionals willing to invest their time for peanuts* because they believe in the project. Heck, we did the pilot for nothing. We're resourceful.

But, yes, that amount is based on the cheapest, simplest, most reigned-in version of our plans. We have more ambitious budgets for our ideal version realisations of the series. And we've got some rather nice rewards up our sleeves** ready for if we pass our target.

But you'll have to donate to find out what they are.

*Literally

**Not literally.

Note: a detailed budget is available on request, to those considering the higher levels of donation.

MISSING SOMETHING is set in a world of missed links, of interconnectivity and the internet. That’s how it’s delivered, that’s how it’s funded (nudge, nudge), and it’s hard-wired into the story itself.

What does that actually mean?

The stories and subplots spread across the episodes, and branch out into the internet, linking to dozens of other microsites, videos, and social media accounts. Follow the cross-platform stories and you'll stumble across* certain twists before they appear onscreen, see the secret cogs* underneath the plot, and even get to influence certain elements of plot through your actions. Hints to find these extra stories are in the episodes themselves, and on the website… but to find them all, you'll have to hunt hard.

*Not literally

To make this happen we've put together the most awesome team that ever existed.*

We've got some really corking rewards lined up for you. Here's some more info on them.

new Voting Rights. Your chance to influence our story! For starters, you can vote for who gets caught dancing Gangnam Style. Will this have a spiralling effect on the plot? Well, you'll have to see. After the campaign closes, cast your vote, and hold your breath*. Open to all our backers who pledge over a fiver. We'll add more topics as the campaign reaches certain targets.

new Voting Right #2How does Aaron get to work?a) Micro scooterb) Roller blades c) Unicycle

Limited Edition Artwork by Charlotte Wainwright. London illustrator Charlotte Wainwright has been scribbling away, creating a unique piece of art inspired by the show, the likes of which you can see below*. This will be beautifully screen-printed by hand. These are strictly limited, one-time run, and when they're gone, they're gone.

Artwork will be hand-printed in London by print technician and designer Simon Fitzmaurice.

Production Stills by Jemima Yong. Artist and photographer Jemima Yong will be hanging around the set, finding striking photos of the scenes and the shoot. You'll select your favourite photo from a choice of six, and receive it signed by the cast featured. These photos are numbered, limited, and strictly exclusive to backers.

Please note, as each photo is limited, some shots may run out for later backers.

Backers' T-Shirt. Designed by our very own Haroun Al-Shaater, and ethically screen printed by hand in London. Available in a choice of sizes and colours - you'll be contacted when the campaign closes. T-shirt mockup below, for illustration purposes*.

The Twenty Something Game. Specify a word, name, phrase, sound, image or object and we'll hide it in the series. We'll publish a list of all the hidden items for anyone to find when the series airs.

*Not literally.

Please note: unless specified, we can't provide travel or accommodation for any of the rewards. For the Twenty Something Game and other user-submitted content, we have to reserve the right to refuse certain suggestions or specify restrictions - but in practice anything goes.

Thanks for reading this far. Or at least, for scrolling here...

Please consider throwing a few quid our way (or bucks if you're that way inclined). And if you like the idea, get in touch with us, and spread the word online.

Help us make something happen!

Eternally grateful,

Yaz, Haz, Leila, Melissa, and The Missing Something Team

Risks and challenges

There are two potential obstacles we're likely to face on this shoot.

The first is getting everything done in time and without any production delays. This is the case with any shoot, but we're trying to fit 12 high-energy episodes into 16 shoot days. But we're aware this is a huge undertaking,and we've planned accordingly. We've built some contingency into our scheduling, and a good lead time. Luckily, we've got a wonderfully experienced, and dedicated team on our side.

The second is that this project is a new and embitious idea. Like any experimental undertaking, we're likely to find that not everything works like we expect. Perhaps a webisode must be at least 3m5s to work? But we've got a dexterous and cunning streak, and we're used to reworking things at a moment's notice.

The risk of experimentation is what crowd-funding allows. No conventional funding streams are geared towards this kind of work - how could they be? Innovation depends on a group of people having faith in a new idea. We've got that now... we just want to make it bigger. With you.

And as you've probably gathered, we're madly excited about the idea, and one way or another we're gonna see it happen. We've already invested a huge amount of time, money, and other peoples' good will so far, and we're not about to let that go to waste.

That's not really a question is it? But if you wanna know why we chose that length, it's because we wanted to distil a story into the shortest helping we could. A morsel of entertainment you can watch and absorb during a cigarette break, or as a distraction from your procrastination on facebook.

Each episode has a beginning, middle and an end, and more jokes than you can shake a funny bone at.

The pilot was an experiment - part of what led us to the three minute figure. The final episodes will be closer to three, though the benefit of a web-sitcom is we're not limited to a precise number of seconds.

No, but sort of. The story is similar, but we'll be reshooting when we make the full series.

The pilot was an experiment we did to see if we liked the concept. The production values were lower, we filmed it for nothing over the course of a few hours, and we only had a small team (no producer, no DP, no wardrobe… etc).

We also wrote it when the series plots were still being developed, so there're some tweaks and additions to be made.

Absolutely. Sure, it'll be tough, but we're used to working with no money, and we're all investing from our own pockets too.

That's not to say we couldn't make it even cooler a larger budget. We've cut a lot of locations and set-pieces to get it to this level, and we do have alternative budgets (and some awesome rewards) in place if we raise more.

Funny you should ask. We're influenced by all the great British sitcoms, as well as a few awesome US shows. If we had to pick two, I'd say Spaced - for its zany characters, occasional surrealism, and sense of fun in its film-making - and Arrested Development - for its interwoven plots, genius writing, and the way that every moment and joke is reincorporated later in the series (or several seasons later).

Also hugely influenced by Coupling (if you've not seen the last episode of Series 2, watch it now and die happy), The Office (who isn't?), Only Fools & Horses, and the plays of Tom Stoppard.

We've cast the leads for season 1, but several rewards give you the chance to appear on screen. And we like the idea that an extra could develop into a character in season two But either way, send us a CV or Spotlight link and we'll take a look in the future.

Kickstarter is not a store.

Pledge £5 or more
About $8

[VOTING RIGHTS] Anyone who pledges a fiver or more get the chance to influence the story! Vote on certain gravely important plot points... like who gets caught dancing Gangnam Style. Check the description for more.

Kickstarter is not a store.

Pledge £10 or more
About $15

You'll join The Big List of Supporters on our website. Plus you'll get a big social-media thank-you shout-out, and a fancy digital supporter's badges for your blog, facebook, or twitter. And you still get the intangible gratitude from above!

Kickstarter is not a store.

Pledge £21 or more
About $32

THE TWENTY-SOMETHING GAME. Donate between £21 and £29 to play! Choose a name, image, word, or sound, and we'll hide it in the series for you and the world to find. (See description). You must choose this reward specifically to play!

Kickstarter is not a store.

Pledge £25 or more
About $38

Everyone who donates over £25 gets access to the Members' Area of our website, with out-takes, bonus materials, behind the scenes footage and early access to new episodes. Plus, choose this reward and we'll throw in everything the from £20 level.

Kickstarter is not a store.

Pledge £50 or more
About $76

[EARLY GOLD] Get everything from GOLD level, plus choose another perk: EITHER appear in the show as an extra; OR receive a limited edition production still, by Jemima Yong. Stills are signed by the actors, numbered, and strictly exclusive to backers. (See description for details).

Kickstarter is not a store.

Pledge £50 or more
About $76

[GOLD] Thanks! Your name (with a link of your choice) will be included on our list of Gold Supporters. Plus you get the entire series on a Limited Edition USB card, access to our Members' Area, and everything from the SILVER level.

Kickstarter is not a store.

Pledge £85 or more
About $129

Send us a name and we'll include it in the series. Could be a plug for one of your characters, or an unusual practical joke, or fun, extravagant gesture for a loved one. And we'll throw in everything from GOLD for good measure.

Kickstarter is not a store.

Pledge £99 or more
About $150

99 BACKERS BUT A BITCH AIN"T ONE. For this exclusive reward to celebrate reaching 99 backers, you get the opportunity to name Aaron's dog in the series (it must be a female name!). You also get an adorable dog cuddly toy for you to snuggle up to

Kickstarter is not a store.

Pledge £100 or more
About $152

[PLATINUM]. A printed copy of our Season Poster, signed by the leads and addressed to you. PLUS, all the perks of GOLD: the entire series on a fancy USB card; a social-media shout-out; early access to episodes; a thank you postcard; access to our members area; and a link on our Gold Supporters List... gosh we're generous.

Kickstarter is not a store.

Pledge £1,000 or more
About $1,518

ASSOCIATE PRODUCER. You get an associate producer credit and IMDB entry, plus a bound signed copy of script, the chance to sit in on the edit or feedback on rough, and an invitation to the Launch/Screening Party. Plus, everything from the FILM BUFF level.

Kickstarter is not a store.

Pledge £5,000 or more
About $7,591

EXECUTIVE PRODUCER credit. As well as all perks of ASSOCIATE PRODUCER, we'll arrange your transport to the Screening/Launch Party (within British Isles), and put you and one other up in a London Hotel. Plus selected members of the cast will feed you strawberries or mashed potato. That last part is optional.